Top Boomer Moments To Remember

Here's a trip down Boomer Memory Lane with some of the most unforgettable milestones that are burned into our collective psyche. For each of these history-making events, just about all of us can answer the question "Where were you when?" in a heartbeat.

President John F. Kennedy's Assassination

On November 22, 1963, cheering crowds lined the parade route for JFK's motorcade in Dallas. At 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time, shots rang out and the President slumped into Jackie's lap. Thirty minutes later, Walter Cronkite announced the President's death to a shocked and horrified nation.

The Beatles Arrive In America When Pan Am flight 101 touched down at JFK Airport at 1: 20 p.m. on February 7th, 1964, nearly five thousand screaming fans greeted the Fab Four at the start of the British Invasion. Pop music has never been the same since.

Landing On The Moon On July 20, 1969 at 4:17 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Apollo 11 landed on the moon. For years, historians claimed Neil Armstrong flubbed his line by saying "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" rather than "one small step for a man." In 2006 he was exonerated when sophisticated new technology detected the elusive "a" in the recording. In any case, shortly after Armstrong set foot on the moon, Buzz Aldrin joined him for 21 hours on the lunar surface.

Woodstock From August 15th to August 18th in 1969, 500,000 concertgoers gathered at Max Yasgur's dairy farm near Woodstock, New York for a long, rainy, druggy weekend. Mud-covered Flower Children were treated to thirty-two legendary acts, including Jimi Hendrix and The Who. The event was a cultural highlight for the hippie generation.

Try our Woodstock Quiz and see how much of it you remember.

Richard Nixon's Resignation On August 9, 1974, President Richard Nixon resigned in the wake of the Watergate scandal and the threat of impeachment. "I regret deeply any injuries that may have been done in the course of the events that led to this decision," he said in his televised speech. Gerald Ford, who succeeded Nixon, pardoned him for any wrongdoing he might have committed.

The Fall Of Saigon On April 30th, 1975, the People's Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front captured Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. Because of the speed with which the North Vietnamese entered the city, some U.S. personnel and their South Vietnamese allies had to be evacuated via helicopter. The fall of Saigon brought an end to the Vietnam War, which had begun in1955.

Elvis Presley's Death The King of Rock and Roll -- or simply The King -- died at home in Graceland at the age of 42 on August 16th, 1977. Seventy-five thousand fans, including Boomers who had watched Elvis's first TV appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1957, crowded the streets of Memphis for his funeral two days later.

John Lennon's Assassination On December 8th, 1980, Mark David Chapman shot Lennon in the back at the entrance to his apartment building, The Dakota, in New York City. Lennon was pronounced dead on arrival at Roosevelt Hospital. Yoko scattered his ashes in New York's Central Park where the Strawberry Field memorial was later created. Chapman remains in prison for life.

See Also:Remembering John Lennon

The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster Schoolchildren all over the country gathered in front of TVs on the morning of January 28th, 1986, to watch the liftoff the Challenger. Among them were the son and daughter of teacher Christa McAuliffe, who was on board. The spacecraft blew apart 73 seconds into its flight. All seven crew members died.

O.J. Simpson's Acquittal On Murder Charges On October 3rd 1995, football legend O. J. Simpson was acquitted of two charges of first-degree murder in the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman. Worldwide attention had focused on Simpson since June 17th 1994, with the low-speed chase of his white Ford Bronco SUV. Subsequent legal troubles landed Simpson in jail. He was denied bail in 2009.

Diana's Death Diana, Princess of Wales died as a result of a car accident on August 31st 1997 in Paris, France. Her companion, Dodi Fayed, and the driver of the Mercedes-Benz, Henri Paul, also died. Fayed's bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, was the only survivor. A French investigation concluded that Henri Paul had been driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

The 9/11 Terrorist Attacks On the bright fall morning of September 11th 2001, 19 terrorists hijacked four planes and crashed two of them into the World Trade Center in New York City and one into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The Twin Towers in NYC collapsed as stunned viewers watched on New York City Streets and in real time on TV. The fourth plane crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania after passengers tried to overpower the pilot. In all, nearly 3,000 people died and 6,000 were injured. In 2004, Osama bin Laden claimed responsibility for the attacks . In 2011, the United States killed Osama bin Laden.

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